The Dodo Archive

One Letter Changed Everything For Refugee And Her Rescue Dog

Since she was a child, she's dreamed of living in a peaceful place. Now, after years of applying to immigrate to the United States, the government finally sent her a decision.

This is Aya. For most of her life, she and her family have fled from one war-torn country to the next.

A refugee of both Iraq and Syria, Aya has moved around the world many times. But wherever she goes, she always has one special friend by her side.

Meet George. Aya rescued him when she was a young girl growing up in Baghdad, Iraq.

Aya first spotted George on the side of the road when she was a young girl, riding in a car alongside her father. A few teenagers were holding the helpless puppy by his ears and beating him.

Feeling compassion for the small animal, Aya immediately asked her father to pull over.

"I jumped out of the car and begged them to stop and gave them all the money I had," Aya told Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton, who recently took a break from photographing New Yorkers to tell the stories of those from around the globe.

From that day on, George became part of the family.

Since that day in Baghdad, much has changed for Aya and her family.

For one, George has grown into a much stronger dog.

"George was so thin and dirty, and the doctor said he was very sick and he'd only survive if I took perfect care of him," she said. "And look at him now!"

But for the family as a whole, life in Baghdad grew more dangerous and uncertain by the day.

Bombs took the lives of her classmates. A car bomb once exploded just a few cars ahead of her. Finally it became clear that her home was no longer safe.

One night, Aya's father woke her up and urged the family to pack their bags. He told her she must leave behind her home and there would be no time for goodbyes.

"When the taxi arrived, I held onto the doorframe and screamed that I wasn't going. My father pulled me away and told me that we were going to live in a better place," she said. "That night we drove to Syria."

George came along too.

For two years, Aya and her family lived in relative peace in Syria. She became a star pupil, and her father found a new job. Teachers told her that she would be the voice of refugees.

Then, history repeated itself. Syria broke out in war.

Once again, Aya's family had to leave their home, but George and Aya always stuck together. "My refugee dog," she calls him.

After fleeing Syria, Aya and her family relocated in Turkey, where they have lived for the past four years. For the most part, Turkey welcomed them with open arms, until recently when refugees from Syria began entering the country by the masses. That's when the discrimination began.

Having spent much of her life amidst the turmoil of war, Aya always saw the U.S. as "a place where so many different people lived in peace" ever since she was a child.

When the U.S. notified her it had accepted her application for resettlement, Aya and her family rejoiced.

"We started dancing and crying and kissing each other. A new life! The United States! We couldn't believe it!" said Aya, recalling the happy memory.

Two months later, she received another letter from the U.S. government, informing her that due to "security reasons," she and her family were no longer welcome.

During her short life, Aya has already earned many titles: excellent student, George's hero and caretaker and even translator for the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

But for at least the foreseeable future, Aya will most likely not be able to add "American citizen" to that list.

Stanton, the photographer who told Aya's story, is hoping otherwise. He has urged his readers to sign a petition to President Obama to welcome Aya and her family - including George - to make a home for themselves in the U.S.

In the three days since Stanton posted Aya's story, the petition has garnered over 800,000 signatures. The White House has not yet responded to the petition.

As of now, Aya, George and the rest of her family remain in Turkey. As for their hopes of entering the U.S., that decision is out of their control.